The Crippler's Complete Preseason Preview of the 2001
Southeastern Conference Football Season


TEAM BY TEAM BREAKDOWN IN ORDER OF PREDICTED FINISH


EAST DIVISION

1. Florida - Florida could very well be the most talented team in the entire country. Two-headed QB Monster Brock Berlin and Rex Grossman have more weapons than they could ever hope to use in WRs Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell and RBs Earnest Graham and Robert Gillespie. Add to that, a very good offensive line and a top notch defense and you've got the makings of good Rose Bowl candidate but the schedule is very difficult and running the table in the SEC is anything but a sure bet but who bets on anything when Steve Spurrier is in charge. Gator fans can make plans for Atlanta but better hold off on the Pasadena trip for the time being.

2. Tennessee - If last year was a true "rebuilding" season for the Vols, watch out cuz this year, they are loaded for bear. The only weakness is the loss of Travis Henry at RB but he'll be replaced by Travis Stephens and the most talented recruiting group of freshman ever. On defense, UT is about as good as they come with All-American John Henderson already keeping opposing QBs awake at night thinking about him. Tennessee is back in the national title picture but I just can't see them winning in Gainesville this year. Sorry, Rocky Top but Orlando or New Orleans is not a bad consolation prize.

3. South Carolina - Can the old leprechaun keep things rolling in Columbia and will the feel good story of 2000 continue the momentum? Odds are they will as the Gamecocks return most of the league's best defense from last year. All-American candidates Kalimba Edwards and Sheldon Brown will keep opponents off the scoreboard and if Derek Watson keeps himself together all season and QB Phil Petty can find one gamebreaking WR to throw to, the Gamecocks may just find themselves in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Tough road games at Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee will likely prevent that but don't be surprised if the Nov. 10 matchup with Florida is for the East Division Crown again this year.

4. Georgia - The 2001 Edition of the Georgia Bulldogs is somewhat of an enigma. Nobody really knows what to expect. Mark Richt takes over the program and will try to install an FSU-like offense in Athens. Offensively, the Dawgs have some question marks, mainly, who will run the offense now that Quincy Carter is gone? No experience returns but don't be surprised to see highly touted freshman DJ Shockley running the show before the season is over. UGa's defense will miss first round draft picks Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud but they should be solid all around, especially a secondary featuring Tim Wansley.

5. Vanderbilt - Will this finally be the year that Vanderbilt gets over the hump and contends to move out of the SEC bottom-feeders? Well, if you listen to QB Greg Zolman, you have to believe. Of course, Vandy says that every preseason. Zolman does have an All-SEC quality WR in Dan Stricker but that is hardly enough to win this year. Vandy will move out of last place in the East Division but will still fall a couple wins short of bowl-eligible again.

6. Kentucky - Things are bad in Lexington, really bad. NCAA rules violations allegations, coaching turnover and players leaving the program do not make for a successful 2001 season for the Cats. UK has some firepower on offense with Jared Lorenzon and underrated RB Chad Scott but that is about the only bright spot to find on this team. Kentucky should fall below Vandy this year and take over sole possesion of last place in the East Division but on the bright side, there is nowhere to go but up for the Big Blue.


WEST DIVISION

1. Mississippi State - The West Division should be a real dogfight (no pun intended) this year. LSU and MSU will likely battle down to the very last weekend of the season but MSU is as talented as any year I can remember. Very underrated QB Wayne Madkin has capable WRs but why should he need them? RBs Dicenzo Miller and Dontae Walker return to take another shot at having duel 1000-yard rushers on the same team. That goal is very much within reason as MSU will once again have some beef on the offensive line. Of course, defense is the name of the game in Starkville and this year is no exception. Led by Mario Haggan, Dorsett Davis and Pig Prather, opponents can forget about lighting up the scoreboard.

2. Louisiana State - Championship-quality football has returned to the Bayou. LSU will give Mississippi State all they want in the race for the West crown. Rohan Davey now has the QB job all to himself with Josh Booty leaving the program. Davey has two all-conference quality WRs in Josh Reed and Jerel Myers as well as RB Labrandon Toefield carrying the load at RB. Defensively, LB Trev Faulk is as good as they come but an October 20th trip to Starkville will spell the difference and keep the Tigers out of Atlanta.

3. Alabama - Can the Tide roll in year 1 of the Franchione era? Probably not as much as many Tiders want but they will be much improved on the awful 2000 season. Just like last year, the Tide has plenty of talent returning and just like last year, the Tide's season will be determined by how they handle distractions and if the coaching staff can get the most out of that talent. Last year's staff could not but this is a new year. If Freddie Milons finally lives up to his hype, Bama will be tough to beat but I don't expect them to put up much of a fight for LSU or MSU in the Western Division race.

4. Ole Miss - How much will the Rebs miss Deuce MacAllister? Well, remember, he was injured much of last year and never got a chance to really produce. The bigger question will be is Eli Manning ready to shine in the spotlight? It is completely his job now. If he is anything like his brother, Peyton, or dad, Archie, the rest of the SEC better beware but some growing pains are to be expected and the Ole Miss defense is thin this year. Expect them to challenge for a minor bowl and possibly spoil someone's SEC Title hopes but not much else.

5. Auburn - Perhaps, no team was hit harder by the NFL draft last year than Auburn. The Tigers lost Rudi Johnson and Ronnie Daniels to the NFL, not mention QB Ben Leard. Those two players accounted for way too much of Auburn's offense to be easily replaced. In fact, Auburn will probably rely on freshman "Cadillac" Carnell Williams to handle the RB duties. Tommy Tuberville definitely has his hands full in keeping the Tigers successful this year. Auburn will have their ups and downs this season for sure but things should balance out to a mediocre record.

6. Arkansas - Arkansas does not benefit from being in the West Division in 2001. If they were in the East Division, they'd easily contend for 4th place but as it is, they will likely find themselves near the bottom of the West Division. The big question for the Hogs is will Cedric Cobbs be completely healthy? The word out of Fayetteville is he is ready to go and that is good news for Razorback fans because he is about their only offense. The defense should be decent but they will likely be on the field way too much in every game to show how strong they really are. By the way, have any teams in America been hit as hard as Arkansas by the injury bug? Houston Nutt's bunch is due a little good luck this season.

The Crippler's Preseason MVPs and All-SEC Selections


Offensive MVP: Jabar Gaffney, sophomore WR, Florida

Defensive MVP: John Henderson, senior DL, Tennessee

Offensive Team Defensive Team
QB - Casey Clausen, Tennessee DL - John Henderson, Tennessee
RB - Dicenzo Miller, Mississippi State DL - Alex Brown, Florida
RB - Derek Watson, South Carolina DL - Kindal Moorehead, Alabama
WR - Jabar Gaffney, Florida DL - Will Overstreet, Tennessee
WR - Josh Reed, Louisiana State LB - Trev Faulk, Louisiana State
TE - Derek Smith, Kentucky LB - Kalimba Edwards, South Carolina
OL - Jon Stinchcomb, Georgia LB - Mario Haggan, Mississippi State
OL - Mike Pearson, Florida CB - Tim Wansley, Georgia
OL - Fred Weary, Tennessee CB - Sheldon Brown, South Carolina
OL - Ben Claxton, Ole Miss S - Pig Prather, Mississippi State
OL - Kenny Sandlin, Arkansas S - Ryan Clark, Louisiana State
K - Alex Walls, Tennessee P - Damon Duval, Auburn
KR - Lito Sheppard, Florida


The Crippler says don't miss these sure SEC Classics!!

September 8 - South Carolina at Georgia
This game will go a long in determining if South Carolina is for real again this year or if they are just conference pretenders. This game has also been circled on Bulldog fans' calendars for some time after South Carolina shocked the Dawgs last year in Columbia. Since then, UGa and USC fans have had several wars in the online message boards and it is quite obvious that the two teams and their fans simply do not like each other very much. Will history repeat itself or will Georgia get their revenge and regain their hold on third place in the division? Well, we don't have to wait long to find out as this game is in Week 2 of the season and all eyes will be watching Athens.

September 15 - Tennessee at Florida
Another early season classic as the Vols and Gators get together in Week 3. The SEC East Crown could be decided in this one, that is if South Carolina and Georgia don't have anything to say about it. Bad blood still surrounds this game as Tennessee felt they were robbed last year and Florida continues to gloat over the recent success they've had over the Vols. As usual, it will be a war. This game is a potential Game of the Year candidate for the nation.

September 29 - Mississippi State at Florida
Mississippi State has a very good team this year but do not think for a minute that Steve Spurrier has forgotten what happened in Starkville last season. MSU whipped him like few teams have ever done to him. Expect a big measure of revenge here. The Dawgs probably won't enjoy this trip to sunny Florida but they will get their chance at redemption in Atlanta at the SEC Championship game if all goes as expected.

October 20 - Louisiana State at Mississippi State
The West Division title will be decided in Starkville with this game when the Tigers and Bulldogs get together. Can MSU's stingy defense contain Davey and the explosive LSU offense? That question will determine who represents the West in Atlanta. The game is in Starkville so give the advantage to the Bulldogs but strange things always seem to happen in the West Division race. Nothing seems to ever go as planned.

November 10 - Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Sure, this game will have no bowl implications and will have no impact on the SEC Championship race but it is probably the biggest game of the season for these two teams as it is by far, their best shot at getting a conference win. Unfortunately, only one team can win so somebody is going winless in conference this year. If you look at it on paper, this game is pretty even talent-wise but if you take into account recent history and off the field distractions, Vandy has to be the favorite and I expect the Commodores to take the Cats down and move one more notch up the SEC ladder, even if it is moving from last place to second to last.



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